Aldorado good fit in starter series

AUBURN, Wash. - The first leg of the Marathon Championship Series will go as the featured eighth race on Friday's nine-race card at Emerald Downs.

The popular three-race series will be run under $10,000 starter allowance conditions, and Friday's initial leg will be contested by nine distance specialists at 1 1/8 miles. Subsequent legs will go at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 3 and at 1 1/2 miles on Aug. 17. Points will be accumulated through the course of the series, and the owner of the top point-earner will receive a handsome trophy.

Four-year-old Aldorado is a snug fit under conditions which stipulate that a horse must not have won for more than $10,000 since becoming eligible by running for $10,000 or less. Aldorado was claimed by Russ Moore and trainer Dan Kenney for an $8,000 tag on June 3, won for a $10,000 claiming price on June 14, then just missed against $12,500 company at a mile on June 28.

Aldorado was entered for a $12,500 tag last Thursday, but he was scratched in what may have been a move to preserve his eligibility for the Marathon Championship Series.

Super Writer, whose record of 9 wins from 18 starts at Emerald Downs is evidence that he is a horse for this course, should also well-backed. Several of Super Writer's wins have come against bottom-level claimers, but the 6-year-old has been steadily moving up the class ladder since he was claimed last June by owners Jack Guier and Allen Floyd. He is coming off one mile scores for $6,250 and $8,000 tags and seems sharp enough to make the jump to the $10,000 starter allowance level.